Prep Newsletter Friday 6th

March 2015

Dear Parents,

Soiree

Thank you for attending our Soiree on Tuesday, which was a wonderful

occasion of music and drama. All pupils from Years 2 - 6 performed

beautifully. The Choir began the proceedings with 2 foot tapping songs

that had some audience members moving to the music in their chairs.

This was followed by the Year 2 violin group that performed to an

audience for the first time ever. The girls were so excited that they were

just about containable, but didn‟t they perform well? We also were treated

to soloists who performed beautifully and truly shone for the occasion. A

massive well done to:

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Lili (Y3) – Violin, Chuwen (Y4) – Piano, Charlotte-Anne (Y4) – Harp,

Ami (Y5) – Violin, Camille (Y5) – Piano, Kalyani (Y5) – Flute,

Yukie (Y6) – Violin, Amisha (Y5) – Piano,

Yoana (Y5) – Vocal, Easha (Y6) - Clarinet

Two of our Y6 Speech and Drama groups also performed. Alisha, Caitlin,

Anika, Milly, Easha and Geeta acted an adaptation of 'Meet the Twits' by

David Wood and Amita, Yoana, Sahana and Patricia performed 'The

Queen's Garden' from Alice in Wonderland.

Music for academic development: Learning music is

invaluable for developing the brain, particularly the areas involved in

language and reasoning and especially the left side of the brain

involved with processing language. The ability to perceive the world

accurately and to form mental pictures of things can also be enhanced

through learning music and often those who are good at Maths are said

to have a talent for music as it requires logic and organisation.

Researchers at the University Of Vermont College Of Medicine found

the more a child trained on an instrument the more it accelerated

cortical organisation in attention skill, anxiety management and

emotional control.

Through regular practice a person can become more organised and self-

disciplined, have high expectations of them, requiring him/her to stretch

their inner resources. Through determination and sustained hard work a

successful performance is possible. Music can be a vehicle for self-

expression and help a person to have a greater understanding of self,

knowing who they are and what they feel. Self-esteem is a by-product of

this self-expression. Learning to play a piece or sing a song can be

challenging, therefore through music we can help to conquer fear and to

take risks. The soloists at Tuesday‟s Soiree were nervous about playing,

worried about making a mistake. A little anxiety is a good thing and

learning to deal with it, as a child, can make it less of a problem in later

life. Challenging one beyond the comfort zone and taking risks is

essential if a child is to fully develop their potential.

Music for emotional development: Learning music gives

opportunities to understand more about other cultures and countries. It

is a medium that cuts through language and cultural barriers. Music can

help to develop

emotional

intelligence -

empathy,

compassion, self-

expression and

selflessness.

Music for social development: Music making can be a solitary

activity. However at St Margaret‟s pianists are invited to join our

orchestra to play the xylophone (the keys are in the same place as a

piano). Playing in the orchestra or an ensemble requires teamwork,

listening skills, patience and discipline, encouraging all players to

practise together harmoniously and work collaboratively towards a

common goal.

Music for physical development and the development of communication skills: Music is active and focuses on “doing”

rather than observing. By learning an instrument, singing or playing in a

group we learn how to perform and to communicate non-verbally. Fine

motor skills are refined.

What can we do? Our

lives can be richer through

appreciating music and

playing for enjoyment and

relaxation. We can provide

opportunities for growth, self-

awareness, a great

appreciation for the arts and

more. Expose your child to

the wealth of music through

listening, singing,

encouraging her to learn an

instrument and playing in a

group, thus giving a growth

and balance in her life. If you

would like your daughter to

learn an instrument or have

singing lessons at St

Margaret‟s please contact Mr

Hope.

Spelling Bee Congratulations

The Sponsored Spell for all Prep School pupils was very successful with

the majority of girls feeling proud of their results. This has not only been

a valuable educational experience, as hopefully each was motivated to

develop a keen interest in learning new words. It also allowed for healthy

competition. In the semi-final and final you could see and feel that every

child was giving it their „best shot‟ and the audience supported

throughout, encouraging and commiserating.

Learning for a spelling test is likely to enhance memory and encourages

the development of better learning skills, which will prove to be highly

beneficial as a child progresses through her school years. Other benefits

are an increase in vocabulary and understanding the definition of more

unfamiliar words.

Particularly for those children who scored enough to secure a place in

their House semi-final, they needed to develop a range of cognitive skills

including the ability to handle pressure. Despite the nerves before the

Spelling Bee final yesterday, it was good to see the confidence each

finalist had and how each coped with keeping the nerves under control.

Even if your child was not placed in the semi-final or the final, it's

important to remember that a Spelling Bee competition can result in a

range of benefits ranging from higher confidence to better vocabulary.

Certificates for the highest scorers in each class and for those children

who raised the most amount of sponsorship money were awarded in our

Celebration Assembly this morning. So far, for our Adventure Playground

Fund, the Sponsored Spell has raised a wonderful £700.38. If you still

have money to hand in to the Prep Office, please do so asap.

Congratulations to our finalists:

Easha - 4th (Raleigh)

Melina – Joint 2nd (Gordon)

Shriya - Joint 2nd (Nicholson)

Spelling Bee winner Ami (Wesley)

Reminder about absences

Pupils should not be absent from school for non-medical reasons (family

celebrations, attending major sporting events etc.) unless prior

permission has been granted by Mrs Aisthorpe. Given the importance of

taught lessons, please would you consider whether it is really necessary

for your daughter to be absent from school.

Routine medical treatment (e.g. an appointment at the doctor or dentist)

should, wherever possible, be arranged outside school time; if such an

appointment is essential during school hours the Class Teacher must be

informed in writing in advance.

Next week…

On Monday Year 5 are off to St Alban‟s Abbey for their

Victorian Day experience to further enhance the learning

in school. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we look

forward to meeting with you at our Spring Term Parent

Teacher Consultation Evenings. This will be an

opportunity to discuss what your daughter is doing at

school, how she is progressing and how you can give

good, practical support. I firmly believe that working

constructively together (in this triad of child - teacher -

parent) can benefit the child positively. On Thursday

Year 4 will visit the Science Museum to spend some

time in the Launch Pad where they can do “hands on”

experiments and carry out practical activities that are

not possible at school. Caroline Lawrence, the author of

„The Roman Mysteries‟ is visiting St Margaret‟s next

Friday to give a talk to pupils in Years 5 - 8 on „How to

Write a Great Story‟. Also on Friday Neha Modi, one of

our Year 10 girls, will be selling cakes outside the Lower

Prep building and at the Upper Prep tables at the end of

the day. All Y10s are taking part in „The Tenner

Challenge‟ and have been given £10 each. Using their

entrepreneurial skills each has thought of a business

idea and have to make it happen by taking calculated

risks to make a profit – and make a difference. Please

see Neha‟s posters around the Prep School for more

information about the Cake Sales.

Mrs C Aisthorpe

Head of St. Margaret’s Preparatory School

Commendation

CONGRATULATIONS to…

Elif (4)

Certificate

CONGRATULATIONS to…

Afrah (4) Aliyah (3)

Lili (3)

Sienna (4)

Netball Report by Easha, Y6

On Monday the Year 5 and 6 Netball team played

against Ashfield School. We have played them

before so we recognised some of their faces. There

was a lot of tension between the two schools and

as we started we were all full of beans, running,

jumping and scoring. The scores were:

A Team won all their matches : 4 – 0

B Team drew : 2 – 2

St Margaret‟s won the matches overall.

National Skipping Day is next Friday. This year it is anticipated

that over 50,000 children will participate in this „just for fun‟ event playing

skipping games. St Margaret‟s Preparatory School has signed up to take

part as we want our children to experience healthy exercise through

skipping. Please would you encourage your daughter to bring in her

skipping rope next Friday so that she can join in the fun. In the meantime

if you can remember your childhood skipping games, perhaps you could

teach your daughter then she can teach her friends. The Year 6‟s, as part

of their English topic on instructional texts will learn skipping chants and

rhymes to then teach the younger children in the hope that we will have

even more children skipping.

March

9th Year 5 Victorian Day

10th 16:00-19:00 Upper Prep Parent/Teacher Consultation Evening

11th 16:00-19:00 Lower Prep Parent/Teacher Consultation Evening

12th Year 4 visit to Science Museum

13th Years 5 & 6 – visiting author, Caroline Lawrence

13th National Skipping Day

16th Year 6 visit to RAF Hendon

18th-20th

LAMDA exams

25th 09:00-09:45 Prep School – “Our Special People” Assembly, Senior School Hall

27th 14:00 Term Ends

Dates

020 8416 4501 prepoffice@smbushey.com

Reception

This week we

have been

learning

about

journeys and

different

ways to

travel. We

painted some

lovely

pictures of

different

transport.

Miss King

Year 1

This week Year 1 have

been learning about the

countries within the

United Kingdom. They

identified the capital

cities along with the

surrounding seas. They

did such careful

Mrs Jolley

colouring,

their maps

looked

fabulous.

Year 2

Miss Pares

1. Weigh out the ingredients.

2. Sieve the flour into the basin.

3. Chop the fat and rub it into the

flour until it resembles fine

breadcrumbs.

4. Add the sugar.

5. Slowly fold in the lightly beaten

eggs.

6. Spoon the mixture quickly into

the greased tin.

7. Bake in a moderate oven for 25

minutes.

8. Eat it all up for tea!

How did you get on

following last week‟s

muddled up cake recipe?

Here is the correct order,

I hope your cakes were all

eaten up for tea!

Year 3 have been selecting, sorting and sieving during their

science lessons whilst they have been learning about

separating materials that have been mixed together. Then the

girls were given a beaker of dirty, muddy water and they were

asked to find a way of making it clean again. They quickly got

to grips with the idea of filtration and they all managed to

produce a beaker of reasonably clean water by the end of the

lesson. (However the girls did need to be reminded that even

though the water looked clean it would still not be fit for

drinking!) Mrs Walsgrove

Year 3

Using the Five Senses by Sarah

I smell flowers as sweet smelling as perfume.

I smell the air as cold as ice.

I hear birds singing as sweetly as a choir.

I hear the wind blowing as loud as an elephant

walking.

I feel the petals of the flowers as smooth as

silk.

I feel the leaves on my toes as rustled as an

empty crisp packet.

I taste fresh air as cold as a slushy.

I see flowers as beautiful as me.

I see the sunshine as bright as fire.

Year 4

Miss Smith

Year 4 have been learning how to describe a setting and how to paint a picture in the reader’s mind. They were using this success criteria: I will know I have been successful when I have:

Brainstormed my ideas

Used similes

Used Wow words

Used the 5 senses

Correct grammar and punctuation

Year 5 proved to be very switched on this week as they learnt about electrical circuits. In pairs they designed a switch to light up a bulb. There were some very imaginative (if not always practical!) ideas and they worked extremely well together. Much was learnt about discussing ideas and drawing accurate plans before putting them into action.

Mrs Walsgrove

We have been learning about The Battle of Britain this week and why it was considered a victory for Britain and the RAF. Churchill described the battle during 1940 very succinctly when he said:

‘Never was so much owed by so many to so few’. Year 6 can now understand the importance of working as a team with sheer determination and the role of a motivating leader, such as Churchill. The speed and agility of the Spitfire and RADAR also counted for much of the victory.

Year 6

Mrs Charlesworth

Our hand engineered Spitfires are being built this week by 6C, and promise to be as carefully constructed as those that we hope to see in our forthcoming visit to the RAF Museum on 16

th March.